US court blocks Trump visa restrictions for foreign students, journalists

A Massachusetts federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Monday blocking implementation of a new Trump administration visa policy affecting foreign students and journalists. The ruling came just one day before the restrictions were set to take effect.

Judge F Dennis Saylor IV determined that the proposed rule would likely cause "catastrophic" damage to the US economy and higher-education sector. The judge rejected government arguments that the restrictions were necessary for national security purposes.

The preliminary injunction will remain in place while the case proceeds through the courts. The decision applies nationwide, not just to the plaintiffs in the case, after the judge rejected the government's request to limit relief to specific parties.

The legal challenge was brought by representatives of nearly 600 public and private educational institutions across the country. The restrictions would have imposed tighter limits on the duration that international students and journalists could remain in the United States. Indian students constitute a significant portion of foreign nationals studying at American universities and would have been substantially affected by the new rules.

The preliminary injunction halts the policy's enforcement while the broader legal questions surrounding its validity are resolved in court proceedings.